She only began her golfing journey less than five years ago, but in that short time the sport has truly changed the life of Issy Stait.

Issy began messing around at the driving range in Deception Bay during the Covid-19 pandemic, and when clubs re-opened around the country, began attending clinics at Queensland’s Woodford Golf Club.

Woodford is where Issy met General Manager Dean Dagen, who runs the Australian Golf Foundation (AGF) Junior Girls Scholarship program at the club.

"In 2023, we invited Issy to join the AGF Scholarship program," said Dagen. "She started out quite reserved. However, six months into the scholarship, she was practicing one to two times per week and playing on weekends with the other girls in the group.

"I found it incredibly rewarding to coach her through her growing love of the game and to see the friendships she built with the other girls."

Issy graduated to playing competition golf over the school holidays, and spending a lot of time around Woodford, which gave the budding young golfer an idea.

"She was persistently pestering me for a job every week," Dagen laughed.

"Her dad was initially apprehensive about letting her work in the golf shop – she was only 14 at the time – but I eventually convinced him.

"Issy has been working with us for eight months now, starting with cleaning carts in the afternoons, then progressing to closing the shop after school.

"She now works every Saturday alongside the Golf Operations Manager, helping to send off the Saturday field, and over the recent Christmas holidays, she even took on admin duties three days per week, handling basic invoicing and processing memberships."

Woodford Golf Club are a recent signatory to The R&A Women in Golf Charter, and are working closely with Golf Australia to align its strategy, Dagen revealing that programs like the AGF Junior Girls Scholarship are having a profound impact on the Sunshine Coast club.

"Issy is consistently recognised as the club’s best employee at our monthly meetings," he said.

"As you can imagine, Saturday mornings in the golf shop can be quite intimidating – even for a fully qualified golf pro – let alone a 14-year-old girl, yet, she remembers every single member’s name and delivers outstanding customer service.

"Golf and the AGF program can change someone’s life and, in turn, enhance every member’s experience at our club."